Interlocking interior trim

ABSTRACT

The interlocking interior trim is a modular baseboard system that may be installed without using additional specialized tools or materials. The baseboard sections are stackable, and will connect to each other before being secured to the wall. The interlocking trim can be used around the walls of a room or along a staircase. When used along a staircase, the sections are cut at an angle to allow the system to run parallel to the slope of the stairs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to baseboards. More specifically, the invention relates to modular baseboard assemblies for use around walls and stairs.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, the home flooring industry has expanded its number and styles of do-it-yourself flooring, allowing many homeowners to install attractive wood and tile floors themselves. The flooring technology has evolved to allow these wood and tile systems to be installed using as few specialized tools and materials as possible.

Most homes have baseboards that are secured to the bottom of the walls, above the intersection with the flooring. These baseboards are used to cover the joint between the wall and the floor, as well as to provide decoration. As homeowners are increasingly installing flooring themselves, they therefore must also install the baseboards themselves.

These do-it-yourselfers require baseboards that may be assembled easily and without requiring many specialized tools or materials. The homeowners may desire uniquely decorative baseboards, or simple traditional designs. Therefore, the baseboards should be modular to allow for different styles and designs of baseboards to be installed. The baseboards may be installed in rooms or along staircases.

Thus, an interlocking interior trim solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The interlocking interior trim is a modular baseboard system that may be installed without using additional specialized tools or materials. The baseboard sections are stackable, and will connect to each other using tongue-and-groove or equivalent joints, before being secured to the wall using an adhesive backing or other common fastener. The interlocking trim is designed to allow the typical homeowners to install the trim themselves.

The interlocking trim can be used around the bases of walls of a room, as a chair rail, as crown molding or along a staircase, door or window. When used along a staircase, the sections are cut at an angle to allow the system to run parallel to the slope of the stairs.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an environmental, perspective view of a stackable baseboard assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 1B is an environmental, perspective view of an ornamental stackable baseboard assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bottom baseboard piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a center baseboard piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a center baseboard piece with relief design according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bottom round piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a top baseboard piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a top baseboard piece with a molding design according to the present invention.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a corner connector piece for use with a bottom round piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of a corner connector piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an environmental, perspective view of staircase baseboard assembly according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a bottom staircase baseboard piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a center staircase baseboard piece with relief design according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a center staircase baseboard piece according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of top staircase baseboard piece with molding design according to the present invention.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is an interlocking interior trim, designated generally as 20 in the Figures. The interlocking interior trim 20 is a modular baseboard system that may be installed without using additional specialized tools or materials.

The interlocking interior trim 20 comprises a bottom baseboard piece 30, at least one center baseboard piece 40, and a top baseboard piece 50, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The baseboard pieces are stackable, and will connect to each other using tongue-and-groove or equivalent joints, before being secured to the wall W using an adhesive backing 22 or other common fastener. Referring to FIG. 6, the top baseboard piece 50 has an elongate tongue 52 protruding from its bottom surface 54. This tongue 52 may be inserted into a groove 42 on the top surface 44 of the center baseboard piece 40, as shown in FIG. 3, to secure the top baseboard piece 50 to the center baseboard piece 40.

The center baseboard piece 40 additionally has an elongate tongue 46 protruding from its bottom surface 48. The bottom baseboard piece 30 has a groove 32 running along its top surface 34, as shown in FIG. 2. The tongue 46 on the center baseboard piece 40 may be inserted into the groove 32 on the top surface 34 of the bottom baseboard piece 30 to secure the center baseboard piece 40 to the bottom baseboard piece 30. A second groove 36 may run across the lower front surface 38 of the bottom baseboard piece 30. A tongue 62 protruding from the rear surface 64 of a bottom quarter round piece 60, as shown in FIG. 5, may be inserted into the second groove 36, securing the bottom quarter round piece 60 to the bottom baseboard piece 30. The interlocking trim 20 is designed to allow the typical homeowners to install the trim 20 themselves due to the ease in snapping the tongue-and-groove connections together.

Referring to FIG. 4, the center baseboard piece 40 may optionally have an ornamental design 24 on its front surface 26. This design 24 may be a three-dimensional relief that is molded, carved, or otherwise formed into the front surface 26 of the center baseboard piece 40, or the design 24 may be printed, painted, etched, or otherwise adhered in two-dimensional form onto the front surface 26 of the center baseboard piece 40.

The top baseboard piece 50 also may optionally have an ornamental design 28. The design 28 may be printed, painted, etched, or otherwise adhered in two-dimensional form onto the front surface 56 of the top baseboard piece 50A, or the design 28 may be a three-dimensional relief that is molded, carved, or otherwise formed either into the front surface 56 of the top baseboard piece 50A, or the three-dimensional design 28 may encompass the entire top baseboard piece 50B, as shown in FIG. 7.

Additionally, a corner connector piece 70 may be used at the intersection of two walls to connect ache sections of interlocking trim 20 installed at the base of each wall W. Referring to FIG. 8B, the corner connector piece 70A has a first slot 72 and a second slot 74 defined in its front surface 76. The first slot 72 is oriented such that it is normal to the second slot 74. The ends of the sections of interlocking trim 20 may be inserted into the first slot 72 and second slot 74 optionally, the bottom quarter round piece 60 may also be inserted into the corner connector 70B, as shown in FIG. 8A. The rear surface 78 of the corner connector 70 fits flush against the corner at the intersection of two walls.

The interlocking trim 20 can be used around the walls of a room, as a chair rail, as crown molding, or along a staircase S. When used along a staircase S, the baseboard pieces are cut at an angle to allow the interlocking trim 20 to run parallel to the slope of the stairs S, as shown in FIG. 9. Referring now to FIG. 10, the bottom staircase piece 80 has a top surface 82 with an elongate groove 84 extending along the top surface 82, similar to the bottom baseboard piece 30. However, the top surface 82 of the bottom staircase piece 80 is not parallel to the bottom surface 86 of the bottom staircase piece 80, but instead forms an angle with respect to the bottom surface 86. This angle is substantially equal to the angle of the slope of the staircase S. The bottom staircase piece may additionally include a groove 88 into which the bottom quarter round piece 60 may be inserted.

The center staircase piece 90 has an elongate groove 92 extending along the top surface 94, and an elongate tongue 96 protruding from its bottom surface 98, as shown in FIG. 12. The top surface 94 and bottom surface 98 may be substantially parallel to each other. The left side 102 and right side 104 of the center staircase piece 90 may also be substantially parallel to one another, however the left side 102 forms an angle with the bottom surface 98 that is substantially equal to the slope of the stairs, and the right side 104 forms an angle with the top surface 94 that is also substantially equal to the slope of the stairs.

The center staircase piece 90 may optionally have an ornamental design 106 on its front surface 108, as shown in FIG. 11. This design 106 may be a three-dimensional relief that is molded, carved, or otherwise formed into the front surface 108 of the center staircase piece 90, or the design 106 may be printed, painted, etched, or otherwise adhered in two-dimensional form onto the front surface 106 of the center staircase piece 90.

The top staircase piece 110 has an elongate tongue 112 protruding from its bottom surface 114, as shown in FIG. 13. The top surface 116 and bottom surface 114 of the top staircase piece 110 may be substantially parallel to each other. The left side 122 and right side 124 of the top staircase piece 110 may also be substantially parallel to one another, however the left side 122 forms an angle with the bottom surface 114 that is substantially equal to the slope of the stairs, and the right side 124 forms an angle with the top surface 116 that is also substantially equal to the slope of the stairs.

The top staircase piece 110 may optionally have an ornamental design 126 on its front surface 128. This design 126 may be a three-dimensional relief that is molded, carved, or otherwise formed into the front surface 128 of the top staircase piece 110, or the design 126 may be printed, painted, etched, or otherwise adhered in two-dimensional form onto the front surface 128 of the top staircase piece 110.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims. 

1. An interlocking interior trim, comprising: an elongate bottom baseboard piece; an elongate top baseboard piece; and at least one elongate center baseboard piece, wherein said center baseboard piece secures to said bottom baseboard piece and said top baseboard piece using tongue-and-groove connections.
 2. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 1, wherein said bottom baseboard piece, said top baseboard piece, and said center baseboard piece further comprise an adhesive backing, whereby said adhesive backing is adapted to removably secure said interlocking trim to a vertical surface such as a wall.
 3. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 1, further comprising an elongate bottom quarter round piece, wherein said bottom quarter round piece secures to the front surface of said bottom baseboard piece using a tongue-and-groove connection.
 4. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 1, further comprising a corner connector piece having a first vertical slot defined in the front surface of said corner connector piece, and a second vertical slot defined in the front surface of said corner connector piece and normal to the first vertical slot, wherein the first vertical slot and the second vertical slot are adapted to receive the ends of the bottom baseboard piece, the top baseboard piece, and the center baseboard piece.
 5. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 1, wherein said center baseboard place further comprises a front surface having an ornamental design.
 6. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 1, wherein said top baseboard piece further comprises a front surface having an ornamental design.
 7. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 1, wherein said top baseboard piece further comprises a top surface having an ornamental design.
 8. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 1, wherein said bottom baseboard piece further comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface is out of parallel with the bottom surface, such that the angle formed between the extended line of the top surface and the extended line of the bottom surface is substantially greater than 0 degrees and substantially less than 90 degrees.
 9. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 8, wherein said center baseboard piece further comprises a top surface, a bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface, a left side, and a right side substantially parallel to the left side, wherein the angle formed between the left side and bottom surface is substantially greater than 0 degrees and substantially less than 90 degrees.
 10. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 9, wherein said top baseboard piece further comprises a top surface, a bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface, a left side, and a right side substantially parallel to the left side, wherein the angle formed between the left side and bottom surface is substantially greater than 0 degrees and substantially less than 90 degrees.
 11. An interlocking interior trim kit, comprising: at least one elongate bottom baseboard piece having an adhesive backing; at least one elongate center baseboard piece having an adhesive backing, wherein said center baseboard piece secures to said bottom baseboard piece using a tongue-and-groove connection; at least one elongate top baseboard piece having an adhesive backing, wherein said top baseboard piece secures to said center baseboard piece using a tongue-and-groove connection; at least one elongate bottom quarter round piece, wherein said bottom quarter round piece secures to the front surface of said bottom baseboard piece using a tongue-and-groove connection; and at least one corner connector piece having a first vertical slot defined in the front surface of said corner connector piece, and a second vertical slot defined in the front surface of said corner connector piece and normal to the first vertical slot, wherein the first vertical slot and the second vertical slot are adapted to receive the ends of the bottom baseboard piece, the top baseboard piece, and the center baseboard piece.
 12. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 11, wherein said bottom baseboard piece further comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the top surface is out of parallel with the bottom surface, such that the angle formed between the extended line of the top surface and the extended line of the bottom surface is substantially greater than 0 degrees and substantially less than 90 degrees.
 13. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 12, wherein said center baseboard piece further comprises a top surface, a bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface, a left side, and a right side substantially parallel to the left side, wherein the angle formed between the left side and bottom surface is substantially greater than 0 degrees and substantially less than 90 degrees.
 14. The interlocking interior trim according to claim 13, wherein said top baseboard piece further comprises a top surface, a bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface, a left side, and a right side substantially parallel to the left side, wherein the angle formed between the left side and bottom surface is substantially greater than 0 degrees and substantially less than 90 degrees. 